Friday, March 23, 2012

Robert Benchley Society "Humor Writing Competition"

PS: OK, it's backwards. Who starts communicating with a "post script?" I found this Robert Benchley Society page on a rabbit trail when looking at/for contests. I don't know if I should bill the organization for advertising, or hope I don't find myself cited for plaguerism for copying it without premission. But I couldn't resist, especially since PPW is not sponsering an adult contest this year. What really pulled me in was the word "Benchleyesque," and the contest due date: April 1. But this is not an April Fools joke. And it's worth the read, just to discover a set of rules Texas mavericks can enjoy.

Entries may be submitted by e-mail, on or beforeAPRIL 1, 2012andMUST FOLLOW THE ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION PROCEDUREas below in item 3.

1. Entry Requirement

Entries must be:

Original;

Benchleyesque (in the sense of reflecting the Benchley style and humor);

Not more than 500 words in length (times height times width);

In the English language, such as it is these days;

Accompanied by the $10 entry fee.

Entries are limited to one per person.Submission of an entry to the competition grants the Robert Benchley Society permission to publish the entry on the Society's website and online newsletter. All other rights are retained by the author.

2. Judging Rules

All judging will be done in accordance with WBC rules:

There is no standing 8 count and no 3 knockdown rule;

Fighter can be saved by the bell in the last round only;

A 10 point must system is in effect;

Accidental head butt goes to the scorecard after the fourth round.

None of the above;

Officers and family members of officers of the National RBS, and judges are excluded;

The top four finalist entries will be ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th by ARTE JOHNSON.Winners will be announced in JUNE, 2012, by the Robert Benchley Society.

3. Required Electronic Submission Procedure

Entries must be accompanied by $10 entry fee, payable through PayPal, which funds will be used by the Society exclusively to cover the costs associated with the competition, to buy the plaque(s) and other insignificant prizes for the winner(s) and, so far as possible, pay for the cost of the first-place winner attending the Annual Gathering and Award Ceremony.Entries must be in MS Word or HTML formatattached to an e-mail message withno identifying information(such as name, address, etc.) in the entry. The entrant's name, address, and phone number must be in the body of the e-mail message.To enter click on the PayPalBuy Nowbutton below. After making your payment you will be automatically redirected to a page from which you may submit your entry. If not automatically redirected, click on "Return to Merchant" button.